Stove construction



Sept 1935- H. TINNERMAN I STOVE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 3, 1935 R. WV 0aE 1 $5 VP. WU mn A m 7/ Hy W &v m a/uwfi M Am Patented Sept. 29, 1936UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STOVE CONSTRUCTION Albert II. Tinnerman,Cleveland, Ohio Application ct0bcr3, 1935, Serial No. 43,368 40mi s.(01.126-304) This invention relates to a stove construction, and moreparticularly to a stove leg and means for attaching the leg to thestove. The present invention is a continuation in part of my copendingapplication, filed March 13th, 1934, and assigned Serial No. 715,320.

In the past, stoves have been generally provided with four independent,detachable legs or supporting members, usually angular in crosssectionand independently detachable from the stove. Such supports have severaldisadvantages for instance, frequently one of the four members is of aslightly different length than the three remaining members, resulting inan unstable support and consequent teetering of the stove. Further, ithas been found that, without the use of complicated or expensiveattaching structures, it is often cliflicult to securely connect suchlegs to present-day stoves. It is therefore, the general object of thepresent invention to provide a stove leg and connection therefor, whichwill overcome the disadvantages above set forth.

A further object of the present invention is to provide stove legs whichmay be adjustably connected to the stove to compensate for anyunevenness in the floor or stove supporting surface, and which willlikewise permit the height of the working surface of the stove to beadjustably positioned for use by a particular person.

One of the chief difficulties in marketing ranges, and particularlyenameled ranges, has been the problem of shipping and of installationwithout chipping or cracking the enamel. The tendency of a stove toteeter, as previously explained, has prohibited the shipment of a rangewith legs attached thereto, and consequently dealers have been requiredto maintain suflicient personnel for assembling ranges in their displayrooms and in the place of use.

An additional important object of my invention therefore, is to providea construction by means of which a range may be assembled by themanufacturer, with the legs rigidly fastened to the body of the range,and shipped to the destination point in a crate, thus obviating thenecessity for maintaining a service force by each dealer. This advantageis an important commercial one that has enabled ranges to be handled asa completed article of merchandise. An additional advantage is the factthat the legs, as I have designed them, operate as a skid upon which therange may be commercially moved from place to place whenever desired.

Referring now to the drawing, Fig. 1 illustrates a side elevalion of astove having incorporated therein my improved stove legs; Fig. 2 is adetailed perspective view looking from the rear of the stove andillustrating one method of attaching my improved stove leg to the frameof the stove. In this view, the rear panel of the stove has been removedto more clearly illustrate the invention; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionaldetail of .a modified form of connections between the stove leg andstove; Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating another form of attachmentof the leg to the stove; Fig. 5 is a. perspective similar to Fig. 2, butillustrating a further form of connection between the supporting memberand the stove; Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail of the arrangement shown inFig.6.

The stove in connection with which I have illustrated my invention hasatop I0, enameled end walls II and a suitable rear wall ii. The front.walls are formed by suitably .enameled closure members I3 and I. Theusual burner arrangement for cooking purposes (not shown) is provided inconnection with the top H) of the stove. The various parts of the stoveare carried by a suitable frame l5, portions of which are illustrated inFig. 2.

My improved stove leg comprises, as shown in Fig. 1, a U-shaped tubularmember adapted to be attached to the bottom of the range. Thearrangement of the leg is such that one leg is provided at each end ofthe stove, each leg extending substantially from the front to the rearof the stove and substantially parallel with an enameled end wall llthereof. These supports or legs provide a sturdy construction that canbe installed at the factory if desired, and shipped integral with therange, whereas in prior constructions the practice has been to ship thelegs with the stove in a dismantled condition.

To make the stove legs adjustable so as to compensate for any unevennessin the floor, I have shown in Fig. 2 the upwardly extending portions 2|of the leg 20, as entering a suitable cylindrical opening in a collar 22which is secured, by means of suitable bolts or rivets 23 to ahorizontally extending portion 24 of the stove'frame IS. The verticalportions 2| of the legs are inserted in respective collars and securedtherein by suitable clamping screws 25, which are threadingly carried bythe sleeve 22 and are adapted to be forced inwardly against the walls ofthe leg portions 2L.

It will be noted from Fig. 2, that the upwardly extending portion 2| ofthe stove legs extend a considerable distance upwardly above the flangeof the frame member 24, to which the collars are attached. Such extendedportions 30 provide the necessary legs for certain range models, 5

which for instance, do not have a broiler disposed beneath the ovencompartment. In such instances, the lowermost edge of the range isspaced from the floor by an additional amount and substantially equal tothe depth of the broiler compartment.

To prevent collapsing of the tube due to the pressing against its wallsof the clamping screw 25, each vertical portion of the tube ispreferably reinforced by a solid bar or rod 21 along at least thatportion thereof which is intended to be engaged by the set screw 25.

It is obvious that with the construction shown in Fig. 2, the height ofthe top I ll above the stove supporting surface may readily be adjustedto suit a particular person. Likewise, one leg 2| of the U-shapedsupporting member 20, may be positioned slightly differently relative tothe stove than is the other leg thereof, thereby permitting the stove tobe readily adjusted for uneven floor-supported surfaces. To preventteetering of the above stove due to unevenness of the floor or stovesupporting area, beneath the horizontal portion 26 of the leg, I preferto bend or curve this portion upwardly as shown in Fig. 1, whereby theleg contacts with the supporting surface only adjacent the ends of thehorizontal portion thereof.

Fig. 3 illustrates a specific form of connection between the leg and thestove. In this instance a solid plug 30 is inserted in the upper end ofthe vertically extending portion 2| of the leg. The plug 30 has, asshown, an annular groove 3| into which the vertical portion of the legis imbedded, as at 32, thereby retaining the plug in position in theleg. The shank of the plug extends downwardly some distance below theembedded portion of the leg, and being solid, reinforces the tube at itspoint of contact with the set screw 25. In this manner, the legsmayreadily be adjustably positioned on the stove and secured thereto .bythe set screw without danger of distorting or weakening the legstructure. I have found that as each support for the stove comprises aunitary member, it matters but little,- if the support on one end of thestove varies slightly in height from the support on the other end of thestove. In either case, it is easy by ordinary shop practice to so makethe support that the vertical portions 2| thereof are identical inlength and hence when secured to the stove, the points of attachmentthereof will be the same distance from the floor engaging surface.

Fig. 4 illustrates a modified form of connection between the leg and thestove for use with even floor surfaces. As there shown, a plug ll isinserted in the upper end of the vertically extended portion of thestove leg, and is so positioned that the upper surface of the plug'issubstantially flush with the upper surface of the leg. A series ofindentations 4| in the leg limit the downward movement of the plug,while upward movement of the plug relative to the leg is prevented bycrimping the end of the leg around the end of the plug, as indicated at43. The plug lll is preferably threaded axially as indicated at 44 toenable the leg to be secured to the stove by suitable bolts 45 passingthrough a suitable opening in the upper flange 24 of the lower stoveframe member and threadingly engaging the plug.

In certain instances and especially in stoves wherein the side and endpanels extend substantiaily close to the floor, it may be desirable, dueto the shortness of the vertical portions of the legs, to secure thelegs to the stove during the manufacture thereof. In this instance, theupper ends of the vertical portions 2| of the stove leg 20 are flattenedas shown at 50 in Fig. 6. The flattened portions are then secured to thevertical flange 5| of the lower stove frame member l5 by suitable boltsor rivets 52.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided astove leg construction, which is sturdy and which will insure stabilityto the stove. I have also so arranged the connection between the stoveand the leg that the height of the stove may be readily adjusted, eitherto compensate for uneven floor supporting surface or to atfiust theheight of the stove from the supporting surface for the convenience of aspeciflcperson. 'Itwilliikewisebeseenthatmy construction is compact,readily assembled and may be produced at a. comparatively low cost.

I claim:

1. A supporting leg comprising a tubular member, an article connectingmember therefor having a socket therein and adapted to be secured to thearticle, and to receive said tubular member, means carried by the socketand adapted to engage the tubular member to seem-e the leg thereto, anda solid plug carried by'the tubular member adjacent the point ofengagement of said means therewith.

2. The combination of an article, supporting members therefor, saidmembers being disposed adjacent the ends of the article, and extendingfrom the front to the rear thereof, each of the members having upwardlyextending portions, means on said article to receive the upper ends ofsaid upwardly extending portions, and a solid plug to reinforce saidportions.

3. A supporting member for an article, comprising a U-shapcd tubularmember, having arms which extend upwardly and are adapted to be attachedto the-body of the article and an interconnecting portion adapted toextend transversely of the body of the article, and adjacent a surfaceon which the article is supported, an elongated solid plug within eachof said arms adjacent the upper end thereof, and means secured to thearticle to adjustably clamp the arms to it in the region of said plug.

4. In combination, on article having a frame, enameled parts enclosingthe frame, supporting members attached to the frame independently of theenameled parts, each supporting member extending from the front to therear of the article adjacent the ends thereof, the members beingdisposed substantially parallel to each other, and each having avertically extending portion and a connecting portion, the connectingportion being positioned adjacent the bottom of the vertically extendingportions, and having the intermediate part thereof extendingupwardlywithrespecttothe endpartstheredso asto engage a supportingsurface at spaced points.

All-BERT H. TRINERMAH.

